Evaluation of the slurry erosion resistance of the body materials of oil & gas drill bits with a modified abrasive waterjet

Abstract Fixed-cutter drill bit is a key component of the whole drilling system. Its quality and service life greatly depend on the erosion resistance of the bit body. A limitation to the successful development of improved erosion resistant materials is the lack of a meaningful, and standardized test method. In this work, a slurry erosion test method has been developed to fill this technical void, which incorporates environmental aspects of fixed-cutter drill bits and is capable of closely simulating the downhole conditions. Wear resistant materials that form the body of a drill-bit are created either by a liquid metal infiltration of copper-based metal matrix composite or through the deposition of a hardfacing layer on a hardened and tempered steel. Examples of both materials are described herein, where laboratory testing correlates to the downhole conditions, validating that the developed slurry erosion test is appropriate and meaningful.